The game follows superhero Cole MacGrath after he gains superpowers following an explosion. Along with his friend Zeke Dunbar, Cole sets out to enhance his reputation in the quarantined Empire City by carrying out either good or evil deeds.

inFamous was developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment throughout May and June 2009. The game received a largely positive reception upon its release, and spawned a sequel entitled inFamous 2.

Contents

inFamous was developed by Sucker Punch Productions, and was first revealed at Sony's E3 2007 conference, with a trailer for the game being shown, as well as information such as the sandbox nature of the game.[2]

inFamous is a sandbox action-adventure game, with emphasis placed on the shooting and platforming aspects of the genre. The primary protagonist is Cole MacGrath, a male interested in free-running that has gained superpowers through an explosion. Throughout the game, the player earns experience for completing missions and defeating enemies; as the player earns these experience points, they can be spent on purchasing powers that become unlocked as the game progresses. Cole's superpowers are electricity-based and consumable, although the player is able to recharge Cole's powers by draining electricity from nearby objects.

inFamous was released in North America on May 26, 2009, with the European release following on May 29 and the Australian release coming on June 4.[1]

Upon its release, inFamous recieved a largely positive reception from critics. Gaming website IGN gave the game a 9.2/10, calling it "amazing"; the review praised many aspects of the game, calling Cole MacGrath's powers "cool", the game's graphic novel cutscenes "stunning", and the story "intriguing".[3] GameSpot gave inFamous a similarly positive review, rating it 9/10 and saying that the game is an "impressive open-world action game", praising aspects such as its "[f]ast combat", "[e]ngrossing story" and "[g]reat pacing".[4] On gaming website Eurogamer, reviewer Tom Bramwell gave inFamous a less positive review, rating it 7/10 and saying that while players may "be encouraged to start again and explore the other face of the moral divide" after completing the game, they "may also have had enough" and may hold "painful memories" of difficult missions and having to upgrade powers again.[5] Metacritic lists inFamous as having an aggregate score of 85/100 based on 98 critical reviews, which suggests "Generally favorable reviews".[6]

With inFamous' positive reception came several awards for the game. In IGN's Best of 2009 Awards, inFamous won the award for "PS3 Best Story",[7] while at GameSpot's Best of 2009 Awards, inFamous was awarded "Best Original IP".[8]

The sequel to inFamous, inFamous 2, was first announced on June 4, 2010.[9] Developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment throughout June and July 2011, inFamous 2 follows Cole MacGrath as he makes his way to the Southern town of New Marais in order to hone his superpowers.[10]inFamous 2 was generally well-recieved by critics, and on Metacritic currently holds an aggregate score of 83/100, which suggests "Generally favorable reviews".[11]